


Notes On The Horn

by Kemmasandi



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-16 17:21:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9281993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kemmasandi/pseuds/Kemmasandi
Summary: Sent on a long patrol together, Cliffjumper and Arcee have some time to get to know each other better.





	

_May 8th, 2009 -- New Mexico, just shy of the Texas border_

Arcee dipped low as she took the corner, a couple dozen mph faster than the road signage suggested. It was a petty little rebellion in the grand scheme of things, but her EM field settled and the anger bled out of her spark a little.

She and Cliffjumper had arrived on this lonely rocky planet three weeks ago by the local calendar. That was barely two orns by Cybertronian standards, and the rapid circadian cycle was beginning to get to her. She recharged in short bursts and woke feeling as though she’d been chasing something and let it slip through her fingers.

Stress, for her, had always felt like frustration and anger. Sometimes that was productive - she found herself looking out for any sign of Decepticon incursion into the desert, her spark jumping at the slightest suspicion. Optimus, that gigantic paragon, would probably have frowned at her for it. Despite her respect for the mech, she found she could not really force herself to care.

Several miles behind on the winding road, she felt Cliffjumper’s spark through her wide-flung EM field. The mech was nothing like Tailgate. At this stage, she felt she could work with that.

She brought up her comm center on her HUD, opening a line to Cliff. _:: You’re dawdling. We have a schedule to keep. ::_

Cliff replied with an image file. _:: Come on, ‘Cee. I’ve just reconnected with a long-lost cousin - why can’t you be sympathetic? ::_

Arcee screeched to a halt. _:: Optimus said there were no other Cybertronians on the planet. ::_

Cliff sent her a databurst. It contained a single symbol, one of human origin: 

He’d gotten the emoji from Bumblebee. It was an in-joke of sorts, or so she surmised. The two light grounders had bonded quickly over a shared love of comedy.

She turned to the image file he’d sent. Opened it, and groaned.  _ :: I hate you. :: _

Cliff produced the rapid-fire wavelength that passed for a laugh over comms.  _ :: But you have to admit, the resemblance is striking! :: _

_ :: That is an organic. :: _ Arcee trawled her browsing history for a human search engine.  _ :: A cow, I think. :: _

_ :: He’s a venerable elder and I must obey his commands. Look at those horns. Goals, I tell you. :: _

_ :: Cliff, get your aft into gear and stop harassing the natives. :: _

_:: All right, all right._ _::_  His locator signal began to move again. _:: I’ll have to introduce you two someday. You can pick the day; it’s not like there’s much going on in his life. ::_

Despite herself, Arcee began to laugh. Cliff had a talent. He’d poked and prodded at the walls she threw up around herself from the moment they’d met, never quite pushing too hard. Just enough to help her see what she was missing out on - living life in the present, rather than waiting for her time to run out.

She knew she was not ready to drop those walls, not yet. But Cliff helped her realise that maybe, someday, she might.

His engine roared behind her, sleek low-slung body sliding around the corner. Arcee fired up her engine, taking off just ahead of him. She nominally outranked him, a sergeant to his scout. They’d settled into a comfortable rhythm on this mission, with her taking point and him providing support and muscle when she needed it. The banter had been an added bonus.

The human search engine provided an answer to her question. Cliff’s discovery was a Texas Longhorn steer, long-faced and placid, with a set of horns as long as Arcee’s forearms. 

_::_ _Maybe you should show that to Ratchet when we get back ::_  she suggested. _:: Get him to update your style. ::_

_ :: I should, shouldn’t I? :: _ said Cliff.  _ :: Can’t let some organic beat me. You mess with the bull, you get the horns. :: _

_ :: I think the problem is that he already has the horns ::  _  Arcee observed. 

She hadn’t thought it was that funny, but Cliff backfired and swerved off the road in a fit of laughter. He collected himself, a cloud of dust rising in his wake.  _ :: Not fair, ‘Cee! If you’re gonna grow a sense of humor, give me a warning first, all right? :: _

_:: That would defeat the point_ _::_  she replied. Had she been in root mode, she would have smirked. Since she was not, she settled for a wheelie and a sudden burst of speed. Cliff hurriedly lurched back up onto the road and zoomed after her, muscle-car engine rumbling.

_::_ _I guess so. I must be having a good influence on you ::_  he said.

You are, she thought.

**Author's Note:**

> A Tumblr TF Secret Santa gift for [skel0sbadlands](http://skel0sbadlands.tumblr.com)! I chose cliffcee because they were the characters I knew best, and also I've been lowkey wanting to write them for a few years now xD I never appreciate Arcee's character as much as when I try to write her; she's complex and has depth and is just so _real_ in her reactions and thought processes. Cliffjumper goes so well with her; he's grounded and conscious of her trauma without letting it define her, and where she has a tendency to take things too seriously he reminds her that that's not all there is to life - just, gosh, they're so good sjhgfahg
> 
> Thanks to LeggyStarscream, who betaed this for me! <3


End file.
